How to Stay Healthy on Those Busy Days You Can’t Make It to the Gym

I am the kind of person who does not work out on a regular basis – it’s something I’ve been trying to change. But, every now and then, I get the motivation to work out consistently for a few weeks, then I lose interest and life gets in the way.

If you are like me, and need to figure out a way to balance the craziness of everyday life and maintain a healthy lifestyle, here are some tips I use in my life.

Wake up early and eat a healthy breakfast

Start each day with a good breakfast. I never believed people when they said “breakfast is the most important meal of the day,” but coming to college I have started to realize that sleeping until 10 minutes before my class starts just doesn’t work for me.

I usually wake up with a cup of coffee, and usually eat a protein-filled breakfast.

Some options include:

Toast with peanut butter, banana slices and honey. Peanut butter is packed with protein, and honey and banana are full of nutrients.

Oatmeal, granola and fruit. I usually mix the oatmeal with strawberries and bananas, and throw in some protein-packed granola.

The classic cereal and banana combo. Just get some Cheerios (I prefer the ones that have a decent amount of protein – as a vegetarian, I try to get a lot of protein).

Stretch it out

I like to stretch each morning to get my body ready for a busy day ahead and stretch my limbs out after a night of sleep.

Stretch your arms, legs and maybe even do a few yoga poses to relax your back and get your circulation going.

Walk to class

If you’re like me, it usually is very tempting to drive to campus and park as close to your class as you can because, well, it’s just easier.

But, now that Michigan is finally catching up with spring, walk to class, catch some vitamin D and get moving.

Do at-home workouts

Life gets busy, and it can be difficult to make it to the gym, especially around finals week. I suggest still squeezing time in your day to move around and stay fit.

At the end of the day, I usually try to do a variety of workouts at home. These include squats, push-ups, lunges, crunches and sit-ups. I try to start each week at a certain amount of reps and increase this throughout the week, so by Friday I am feeling fit and healthy.

Drink water!

I am the type of person who sometimes forgets how important water is to a healthy lifestyle. Grab a re-fillable water bottle (try to avoid plastic water bottles, save the earth!) and keep it filled throughout the day. It’ll make you feel more productive and keep your body hydrated.

Spice it up with some fruit in your water (limes, lemons or any other fruit that suits your fancy.)